Which J-movies have you watched lately?

[thomas]

To all French and German-speaking film aficionados in Europe: Arte screens Japanese movies each Monday at 20.45 CET.

Last week's movie was "Ichiban utsukushii natsu" (Firefly Dreams) by John Williams. John Williams, a British, studied French and German literature in London and later moved to Japan. After he began work teaching French in a high school, he discovered his love for film making.

Here's what he wrote about his movie:

"A few years after coming to Japan I was asked to give some advice to a pretty but extremely rebellious highschoolgirl, who was giving her parents hell. I had a lot of sympathy for the girl, because she reminded me inmany ways of my own teenage troubles. I forgot about her for a long time but years later I started to write ascreenplay about a rebellious schoolgirl and I realised that this central character was modelled on her. That screenplay eventually became Firefly Dreams. I think that it is through the experience of trying to imagi-natively enter the life of someone else that we come to understand ourselves. We see ourselves mirrored inother people and we come to see our shared predicaments. In the film Naomi gradually becomes curiousabout Mrs. Koide and her past. I wanted to catch the awakening of this curiosity, the awakening of Naomi'scapacity for empathy, which I think lies at the heart of all good films and all good fiction. I was interested inthe idea that Mrs. Koide and Naomi were mirrors for each other, in the same way that I had found a mirror ofmyself in a rebellious Japanese schoolgirl. While we were location hunting for the film we discovered an oldglobe and a dusty mirror in the junk-filled attic of an abandoned farmhouse. When I saw the mirror and the globe I felt as if I had stumbled onto a key image for the film. The globerepresents the greater world, the desire to escape and lead a larger, more exciting life. Both Naomi and Koideknow this desire, and of course that is what brought me to Japan in the first place. The mirror represents self-knowledge, and that is what Naomi finds in Mrs. Koide, and what Mrs. Koide rediscovers through Naomi. Another major element in the film is the setting itself, and the contrast between city and country. Travellingfrom the urban sprawl of Nagoya to the rural area where we shot is like travelling back in time. From themost modern place in the world it is possible to go back in time three of four hundred years in the space of atwo hour drive. I wanted to catch this amazing contrast on film, a contrast that mirrors the gulf in experience between Naomi's age group and the pre-war generation of Mrs. Koide. And again I found a mirror for myself.Even though I now live on the other side of the globe I found numerous similarities between my home inWales and the Japanese countryside. While we were filming, the sounds, sights and smells took me back to my own childhood. I felt that I hadcome a long way but that I was in some strange way back where I had begun."

Review of "Firefly Dreams"

=> http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/fiflydre.shtml

Info on John Williams

=> www.jinjapan.org/nipponia/nipponia20/en/living/

http://www.winecountryfilmfest.com/images/2002films/02_firefly_dreams.jpg

Yesterday's movie was "Unagi" (The Eel) by Shohei Imamura, with Koji Yakusho starring.

=> http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/theeel.shtml

http://www.cinetecadibologna.it/lumi/2001_7/grafica/film/unagi-2.jpg

If you have a chance to watch these movies, don't miss them! ;)

[Twisted]

Last J-movie i've seen was Gokudô sengokushi: Fudô (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0123092) from Miike Takashi.

Good movie, but i'm beginning to feel those Yakuza movies are all a bit same'ish. At first they're all powerfull and in the end nobody is left. Well, not entirely in this case, since there's also a sequel.

Last month there was a filmfestival in Rotterdam. A lot of new Japanese movies were shown there. I always found out about these festivals after they're over... :)

[thomas]

Originally posted by Twisted
Last month there was a filmfestival in Rotterdam. A lot of new Japanese movies were shown there. I always found out about these festivals after they're over...

LOL, same here. However, it's nice to see that Japanese cinema is more than just Takeshi Kitano who's a darling of film critics here in Europe.

As for yakuza movies: the very same applies to the Italo-mafia genre. Think of the "Godfather" or "Once upon a time in America", these movies live on clichés too and serve to satisfy our stereotypical expectations.

:D

[Iron Chef]

Speaking of Kitano, my favorite film by him is "Kids Return" which is one of his earlier works (1996?). Very simple yet powerful story. Another fav film but very obscure is "Manuke Sensei" which originally came out in 1998 and was reviewed by yours truly for the '98 Yubari Fantastic Adventure Film Festival (great gig btw if you can get it-watch movies all day long and get paid to boot 8-p). It was one of the first Japanese films that really moved me and I was fortunate enough to get a chance to meet some of the film's actors who were present at the Festival promoting it. This film really struck a chord with me because of its powerful yet simple story.

The story revolves around a man in his late thirties or so riding on a Shinkasen. Seated next to or across from him (can't quite remember) is an elderly gentleman dressed somewhat oddly. Through the course of their trip they eventually strike up a conversation the younger man can't quite place it, but he's sure he knows this rather odd and eccentric older man from somewhere... The story then unfolds and we see the the younger man now as he was a child growing up in his fishing village off the cost somehwere.

As it turns out, "Manuke Sensei" was his imaginary friend as a boy who had helped guide an nurture him when times were rough for him, his family, and their friends. As you may have guessed, "Manuke Sensei" is actually the older man seated next to him but this is only revealed after they arrive at their destination and depart their seperate ways. The film is a powerful portrayal of self-discovery as the main character awakens something he thought had long since been lost... hope for a better day. There is a particularly powerful scene where he befriends a terminally ill neighbor (who is also a child) and comes to grips with the reality of mortality at such an early age. A great film by all accounts and should you ever get the chance to check it out sometime I highly reccomend it.

[matshelge]

Let me see.. last J-movie I saw was Evil Dead Trap, from 1988. (saw it only a few hours ago) A good horror movie.. But it had some rip-offs from evil dead, but still a good old fashion horror movie. Last night I saw Hanna-Bi and Brother. Both great gangster movies.

[alfred183]

I have yet to see a Kitano movie. I need to watch some, I guess. Hmm, last J-movie I saw was Ringu. American one was better >_<
I really want to see Ringu 2 and 3 now...

[jeisan]

hmm the last couple j-movies i watched were yojimbo and audition. yojimbo is an old kurosawa film, 1963 i beleive. pretty long but a good movie. audition on the other hand was the most diturbing movie ive ever watched. i tell you right now guys, no matter what a female has ever done to you in the past, watch that movie and you will know you got off easy.

[thomas]

Yesterday I watched 'Yume no ginga' (Labyrinth of Dreams) by Ishii Sogo. Excellent film noir.

Tomiko (Komine Rena) is an over-worked conductor on a rural bus line in the 1930s [ actually the 1950s ]. One day, she is disturbed to get a letter from a friend, another bus conductor, declaring that her fiance/bus driver is out to kill her. The friend had died in a crash just after mailing the letter. Tomiko is then shocked to find that the now ex-fiance, Niitaka (Asano Tadanobu), who survived the accident, has now moved to Tomiko's company and been assigned to her bus. In her letters to another friend, Tomiko announces her desire to wreck revenge on Niitaka, suspecting him of committing a series of similar killings. But her energies soon get derailed as she finds herself falling in love with the sullen but mysteriously attractive diver. Knowing such affections might lead to her death, she tries to fight them, but soon gets caught in their irrepressable momentum.This theme of young women trapped in a "hell" of their own making is common to the work of Yumeno Kyusaku, the early Showa writer of the bizarre and fantastic on whose novel Labyrinth of Dreams is based.

=> http://pears.lib.ohio-state.edu/Markus/Review/Films97/Labyrinth.html

Review by Midnight Eye

=> http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/labdream.shtml

http://www.justnet.ne.jp/naminori/cinema/yume/yume1.jpg

[Chipi]

"Kikujiro no natsu"...just loved it:love: it´s so sympathic and warm.

I have "Posutoman burusu" on tape, just waiting for me to watch it, and today in the evening I´m going to watch "Ame agaru"...

What have you guys liked about "samurai fiction"?
It´s not that traditional, which I believe, makes some people hate it and some love it. I´m a member of the lover group..

[den4]

watched Kitano's 3 oku en jiken which was brilliant piece of drama done by him playing a cop who goes bad and creates a scenario that has baffled police to this day......based on a true story.....

also watched Tora Tora Tora the other day.....haven't seen the Pearl Harbor movie yet.....

[Iron Chef]

Re: Samurai Fiction
I liked it and can remember catching it when it first came out. Although the plot was a bit too cliche' and could have used a little more action, seeing Tomoyasu Hotei as a thieving samurai with that rock soundtrack in the background was pretty cool. 8-)
:)

Re: Pearl Harbor
I'm assuming you're referring to the recent Michael Bay release (with Affleck and Hartnett) and if so... save yourself the trouble. Aside from a few interesting (albeit technically erroneous) battle scenes, the plot is unfortunately paper-thin. The entire premise of the film revolves around a sappy love triangle with the attack on Pearl just happening to coincide with our young lovebirds drama, bleh...

p.s. Kate Beckinsale is a hottie and so having to watch the film was not quite as painful as I made it sound to be. 8-p
:D

[Duo]

the last ones that I saw were Kurosawa's Yojimbo and Kikujiro's summer, which I really like. Also someone has reccomended me this movie called Shogun Assassins. Have any of you seen it?

[lightman]

The last movie I saw, was yesterday at the Japanese Embassy in Brussels,
it was called "Hana ichimonme", that's the story of an old man
that catched the Alzeihmer disease, you can witness his slow
death, ponctuated with crude scenes of his misery.

Seems like the Cultural Center like to "old man last days" type of movie, not much my cup of thea

movies on ARTE are much better.

-lightman

[ben0a4]

:happy:

Princess blade , it was allright. can't really reccomend it though.

[Saiyuki]

i don't watch a lot of J-movies, more into Honk Kong kung-fu's, but the last one i saw was Tokyo Raiders. it had a ok story, some good fight scenes, and a few funny parts

[CFP]

Gojoe! Awsome movie! Anything by Takeshi Kitano is good. And I have to agree with Jeisan, "Audition" was a very disturbing film, but a really good disturbing film.:clap:

[Christine]

I saw "Postman blues" a little while ago. Kinda weird story, but very exciting!

[CFP]

I liked "Postman Blues" too! It was moving and fun.

[hotani]

Since my 4-year-old son always wants to watch 'Spirited Away' (we watch it in Japanese of course!), that was the last one -- but I have seen it about 20 times now!

Before that, the last time I saw a new movie was Ringu.

[gorhound888]

Last J-movie I saw happened to be "Unagi" (The Eel). I loved that film. I also saw with that a "Beat" Takeshi film where he is a samurai and is one of the heads of a militia in a village. There are two gay-lovers in the militia and the story centers around one of the gay lovers. It is cooler than it sounds and there is action/violence in it. I liked it. It was pretty good. I can't remember the title, though.

[gorhound888]

Shogun Assassins is the American hybrid version of the Lone Wolf with Cub series.
They are (the Lone Wolf series) six separate films in a series.

[gorhound888]

Shogun Assassin is toned-down considerably (violence-wise). As a separate movie, for what it's worth, it is still fun to watch. You will enjoy watching the whole series much more, though. The movies are notorious for geysers of blood spraying from the samurai-blade wounds!

[HennaSaru]

Juon (videoversion 1) - really scary!
Kairo - honto ni scary as hell, especially if you like computers
Ringu 0 - i feel for Sadako

this week I will see Juon 2 (videoversion) and Rasen (Ring sidestory). I will update you soon of these ones.

[Nikorasu]

Hmm, now what have I seen lately? Well the latest ones must be Kairo and Ju-On (tv version), both where scary and very good, looking forward to see episode 2 of Ju-On, I'm a big fan of Beat Takeshis movies, last one I saw was Boiling Point, sad ending as always but a realy great movie :clap: ...

[Nanahara]

last J-movie I watched was "HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS" pretty weird film, I liked it though :) anyone seen it?

[SKiNiToToRo]

Last one I saw was "Cat returns" over the weekend, pretty good, but not as good as "Sprirted away". Last non-anime I watched was "Battle Royal" again! It was on Sci-Fi channel the other nite and I caught the start so ended up watching the whole thing nearly. Still good! ^_^

Bought Kitano's "Getting Any" last week so I'll prolly watch it this weekend. Should be fun.

C ya.

[Nanahara]

Battle Royale is superb! I should be getting the special edition PAL2 DVD this week... if it doesnt get lost in the post :)

[SKiNiToToRo]

Hey Nanahara san,

where do you get your dvd's from? Do you buy japanese dvd's or chinese? I'm looking around for the best e-tailer @ moment. I use yesasia.com for j-dvd's and region3 chinese ones too. Any better suggestions? Let us know what that 2 disc version of BR is like will ya? Is it DTS too?

L8r. ^_^

[Nanahara]

www.play.com
thats where I got the Battle Royale DVD (region2 has subtitles and has lots of special features:) )... not sure what else it does... if you have a region one player you can get Trigun and stuff... I think there is a large section dedicated to Anime on the region 2 site...cant remember :)

[Pete_SJ]

Hi,

My name is Pete. I live in San Jose, CA USA. Just came on to this site by accident. Been in love in Japanese Movies since I first saw Akira in 1991. The latest film I've seen is called Chaos (Koasu). Starring my furture wife Nakatani Miki.
http://ringworld.somrux.com/images/mikiPink.jpg

[SKiNiToToRo]

Oh man, she's purrty! Let me know if it doesn't work out with you guys eh? ^_^

L8r.

[Nanahara]

hahaha ditto


:)

[Pete_SJ]

Originally posted by SKiNiToToRo
Oh man, she's purrty! Let me know if it doesn't work out with you guys eh? ^_^

L8r.
You'll have to pry her from Kung Fu Grip first :evil:

[Gaki]

Happiness of the Katakuris, is the most recent i've watched.

[Nanahara]

what you think of it?

[Gaki]

It's one of the funniest movies i've seen lately !
When i saw it in the cinema me and my friends were laughing non-stop throughout the whole film ! ^^

Richard Sagawa is the best movie character ever !!! ^^;

[Nanahara]

haha yeah! I loved the scene when Richard and the grandfather (is his name Jinpei I can't remeber) have the fight at teh dump place haha the animation was cool!

[wan pak hin]

hmm.. j movie other week watched... ping pong, ju - on, and a really good film called battle royale 2 :) , very good jap movies!! also i have even see the japanese version of a really funny chinese movie i love called shaolin soccer i am sure many people have heard or watched this before!, but the japanese version is slightly different compared to the original cantonese version, so it made me laugh a little! well for buying movies i think personally "yes asia" is best e-tailer for asian things, even i still buy chinese movies off their! as going to nearest china town which is in yokohama, even VCD's are expensive for chinese films so i buy chinese and some korean stuff of yes asia, and here is another site i would look at for asian films it is pretty good website and pretty cheap!!

http://www.sensasian.com

i hope this has helped all the people looking for a different e-tailer for asian things other then yes asia, although for people who live in england, especially people who live near a china town!! in some of the shops their, you can get vcd's and dvd's although they are more expensive then yes asia, but you will get movie same day!, but my advice is take a chinese person with you to actually buy the film / cd etc.. for you!! as he will get price cheaper as chinese people usally have 2 price bands, for chinese people and for everybody else!! if your chinese freind gets the film for you in china town you could save maybe 5 pounds over original price! do not tell any chinese shop owners i told you this otherwise they will hunt me down and shout at me for telling non chinese people this!! and also i must apologize for my race being slightly stereotype towards full western people! when it comes to buying things etc..!! really it is not their fault but they cannot help it!! even when i take trips to visit family in HK i get charged more then my cousin's etc.. because i do not live in HK and speak english sometimes when i do not know cantonese word for what i want to say! so i get mistreated by my own race aswell sometimes! well anyhow i hope my advice has helped some of you :) :wave:

P.S from china town in london i got... hikaru utada "deep river" album along time ago, so they sell japanese things their just it is OFFICAL chinese version of the album!!

[HennaSaru]

I saw Rasen.

Liked it

[budd]

akira kurosawa criterion dvd set (but haven't finished :o)

[Gaki]

Watched "Versus" today ^^

Very good action movie !

[Shidenkai]

Wakamatsu's films:
http://www.imageforum.co.jp/wakamatsu/

[James Ballard]

Well, aside from the monthly rotation of all 26 Godzilla flicks... :)

In the past week I've watched "Verus", "Dark Water", "Battle Royale", and "Ring".

[Apollo]

I have just watched The Happiness of Katakuris...I must say that it was very funny. I laughed soo much during the film because some of the scenes were just soooo silly and weird!!

Thinking about the director Takashi Miike, I can't believe he is the one who made Audition and Ichi The Killer, because this one is VERY different!!! :cool:

I really liked some of the characters!! :D

[BigBossIchi]

I've been an a Sabu kick of late with watching his films THE BLESSING BELL and HARDLUCK HERO.

[Nothingness]

I been watching:

The Lower Depths,

Kichiku Dai Enkai (Banquet of the Beast), and

The Street Fighter (series).